"Heading to Rōran?"
No one had noticed, but the very man who had been the center of their fears—Gensou—was currently sitting atop the Hokage Rock, overlooking Konoha.
Having finished watching a good show, he withdrew his gaze from the departing Naruto and his team.
He didn't need to intervene.
The Dragon Vein was no longer in Rōran.
However, if Naruto and his group, backed by Konoha, managed to find something useful—such as a way back—it would benefit him as well.
Let them work themselves into a frenzy; it'll only make them more efficient.
With that thought, Gensou vanished from the Hokage Rock.
From then on, his days were spent balancing three objectives: traveling, completing missions, and searching for the Ōtsutsuki.
Time passed quickly.
[Main Quest: Kazekage Retrieval Battle – Face Uchiha Itachi (Completed)]
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully defeated the Reflection Clone of Uchiha Itachi!]
[Mission Reward: A trace of Ōtsutsuki bloodline.]
In the Uchiha training grounds, Itachi had set up targets across various trees. Holding several kunai between his fingers, he was just about to perform a flawless Uchiha-style shuriken throw—
Thud.
Suddenly, his head was struck.
His vision blacked out instantly.
"Who?!"
When Itachi finally regained awareness, he immediately leapt back, scanning his surroundings.
Nothing.
He remained on high alert for a long time, yet no further disturbances occurred.
Frowning, he retrieved his kunai and spent the following days pondering the identity of his assailant, their purpose, and their intentions.
[Main Quest: Kazekage Retrieval Battle – Face Sasori of the Red Sand (Completed)]
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully defeated Sasori of the Red Sand alone!]
[Mission Reward: A small trace of Ōtsutsuki bloodline...]
In Sunagakure, deep within his workshop, Sasori was refining his latest puppet, preparing for the assassination of the Third Kazekage.
Thud.
Just like Itachi, Sasori was suddenly struck on the head.
His vision darkened, and his forehead slammed into his workstation.
"Who?!"
When he finally shook off the dizziness, his fingers twitched, activating his puppets to surround the area—
But there was no one.
"...Did the Third Kazekage discover something? Was this a warning?"
Sasori's expression darkened as he scanned the room, lost in thought.
[Main Quest: Kazekage Retrieval Battle – Finale (Incomplete)]
[Mission Description: Rescue the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, or recover his body.]
"Saving Gaara now? That's a problem."
At a bustling casino, Gensou sat beside Tsunade, watching as she effortlessly raked in wins.
She had already become accustomed to her sudden gambling streak, convinced that her luck had reached god-like levels.
But then, the system message rang in Gensou's mind.
His brow furrowed slightly.
According to this world's timeline, Gaara hadn't even been conceived yet.
How could he rescue him? Or recover his body?
If this were his original world, it would be simple.
Even if Gaara had to be brought back alive, Gensou could just use Rinne Tensei to retrieve his soul from the afterlife.
As for the cost of the jutsu—at his level, he could ignore it entirely.
But now...
"There's no point staying here any longer," Gensou decided.
He had delayed dealing with the Ōtsutsuki because he saw an opportunity to grow stronger through the system's missions.
The more missions he completed, the more powerful he would become.
By the time he faced the Ōtsutsuki, it would be far easier.
But now, with a mission-breaking glitch, progress had stalled.
Was he supposed to wait years for Gaara to be born?
Gensou had no intention of lingering in this world for so long.
A year or two was fine.
But any longer, and unpredictable changes could arise—both with the Ōtsutsuki mother and son, as well as his original world.
"It's time to move on."
He rose from his seat and walked toward the casino exit.
Tsunade, noticing his movement, looked up in surprise.
"Gensou, you're leaving?"
Without turning back, Gensou waved a hand.
Finally!
The money-sucking leech was gone!
Tsunade was overjoyed.
Still, to avoid any unnecessary trouble, she feigned a reluctant expression and called out:
"Gensou, where are you going?"
"To save the shinobi world."
And with that, he disappeared.
Tsunade: "..."
After a long silence, she turned to Shizune and asked:
"He says he's going to save the world. Do you believe him?"
Shizune hesitated, recalling all of Gensou's actions over the past few days.
Then, shaking her head, she whispered:
"Not really."
"I don't believe it either!"
Tsunade smacked her hands on the table, finalizing her judgment.
Then, she resumed gambling.
In the grand scheme of things, nothing was more important than betting it all.
However—
Her joy was short-lived.
Moments later, a team of Konoha shinobi arrived, instantly disrupting her good mood.
High above, silhouetted against the sun, Gensou gazed down at the world below, now mere specks on the landscape.
Although he had completed several system quests, his search for the Ōtsutsuki had yielded nothing.
He had scoured nearly every corner of the planet—
Yet he hadn't found the Ōtsutsuki mother and son, who had arrived a year earlier.
Nor had he found their counterparts in this world.
They wouldn't have suddenly flown off into space, never to return.
That left only one possibility.
His eyes sharpened as he prepared to make his move.
But then—
A sudden thought crossed his mind, and he turned his gaze toward Rōran.
Meanwhile, Naruto's team had arrived in Rōran and gathered intelligence from the queen.
Though the Dragon Vein had mysteriously disappeared, they hadn't given up.
Their investigation led them to uncover long-lost research, including an incantation supposedly capable of manipulating the Dragon Vein's power.
And more importantly—
They found an artifact.
In the middle of the desert, Naruto, covered in sand, unearthed a deeply buried, ancient diamond-shaped token.
It bore five unmistakable characters: "By Imperial Decree."
Orochimaru, serving as the team's lead archaeologist, licked his lips excitedly.
"According to Rōran's royal records, the Dragon Vein came from beyond the heavens, choosing their lineage as its guardians.
"To honor them, it bestowed upon them a token—one that could control even greater power than the incantation alone."
"The truth behind this legend no longer matters. What's important is this—
"If my guess is correct, this is the lost Dragon Vein Token, an artifact that vanished generations ago."
Naruto studied the token curiously, unable to detect anything special about it.
"So… should we return it?"
Orochimaru's grin widened.
"Of course… not."
(End of Chapter)
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